


Caught in the Middle

by AnimeNerd666 (CrystalNavy)



Series: AOT Time Travel [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Child Prodigy, Childhood Friends, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gabi is a time-traveler with a mission, Gabi-centric, Gen, Or at least Gabi's friends don't, Sass, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan Season/Series 04 Spoilers, Some Humor, adoration, don't ask why
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:42:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29009232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalNavy/pseuds/AnimeNerd666
Summary: Gabi has an unique opportunity. The pros outweigh the cons.
Relationships: Gabi Braun & Bertolt Hoover, Gabi Braun & Falco Grice & Udo & Zofia, Gabi Braun & Reiner Braun, Gabi Braun/Falco Grice
Series: AOT Time Travel [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2056119
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	1. Flow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Gabi kills Zeke.

The first thing Gabi realized upon waking up is that she should be dead, yet she quite obviously wasn't.

The second thing she realized was that she was in her seven year old body, and that Reiner was snoring beside her.

She was so small, she noticed as she looked at her hands.

But as long as Reiner was with her, she could do anything.

Water dripped from the ceiling.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Gabi remembered them.

"Udo, Zofia." she whispered "Falco. This time, I'll do better. I won't let you die, even if I have to do everything myself."

She got out of the bed, careful not to wake her cousin, and observed him for a while.

He looked so peaceful right now, and Gabi recalled the words Falco said to her. About how Reiner wants to die.

Well, not on her watch he wasn't.

Gabi shook him awake, as gently as possible, and he sat up. He blinked blearily at her, and Gabi wrapped her arms around his waist.

"What did you want?" he asked her sleepily

"You're so warm..." Gabi said "My hero. I want to live, with you. One way or the other."

"Come on." Reiner said "Since we're awake, we might as well go join the others."

They made their way downstairs. Only Porco was there, munching on a piece of toast.

Gabi remembered Eren tearing his head right off his shoulders and using his powerful jaw to break the cocoon and eat Lara Tybur. He was going to eat Porco as well...

"What is the matter?" Porco asked, noticing her expression

"I...I just..." Gabi ran her small hand across her face "I just want you to stop being mean to Reiner!"

With that, she turned around and walked away, harrumphing.

But Porco had taken a look at her eyes, and those weren't the eyes of a child.

He was proven right a couple of moments later.

"Morning." Warchief Zeke descended down the stairs

And was instantly shot. Right through the nape. 

And Gabi held a rifle in her hands. A still-smoking riffle. A riffle which was missing from the wall.

"Gabi!" Reiner exclaimed with shock "Why did you shoot the Warchief?"

"He has royal blood." Gabi explained "The Founding Titan's power cannot be activated without a trigger: a Titan of royal blood. The Warchief was working with Eren Yeager all along! Without him, he is powerless."

"She is not lying." Porco said "You can see it in her eyes."

"Yes, but why do it?" Reiner still seemed unsure

"For you. Both of you." Gabi said "And for Udo, and Zofia, and Falco, and all other innocents killed by Eren Yeager and his allies."

She poked the downed Zeke in the ribs with her foot.

"And that includes you. You put those who relied on you at risk." she said, voice filled with contempt


	2. The Council

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Council convenes, with the Tyburs on its head, in order to choose a new Warchief. Meanwhile, Gabi has some catching up to do.

"There is going to be a Council." Porco told Gabi "Reiner and I are invited, and the Tyburs will probably be there as well. We need to select the new Warchief."

"I hope you get chosen, Reiner." Gabi said earnestly "You deserve it."

Reiner looked away at that, and her smile fell. He probably felt as if he did not. Losing all three of his teammates must have hurt, a lot. She made a mental note to talk to him as he and Porco returned. She was sure he would be chosen, and she needed to make him believe he deserved to have that position.

In the meantime, she had some catching up to do.

She made her way to candidate training zone, and discovered that Falco, Udo and Zofia were there already.

"You ready for a spar?" Zofia asked cheerfully

Gabi nodded, and they began.

The next few minutes were a blur, and when it was over, Zofia ended up with a broken leg.

Falco and Udo soon suffered the same fate, leaving Gabi the victor in their spars. However, this didn't make her feel happy like it once would have.

She called for the medics, and her friends were carried away to a hospital. Gabi knew enough about how human body worked to insure they would still be recovering at the time of the disaster, and thus would be out of harm's way.

Returning to the training grounds, she resumed the training, promising to visit her friends the next day.

Once she was finished, she headed back to her home. 

Reiner was there, resting in one of the chairs. He looked up once she entered.

"What did they decide?" Gabi asked

"They selected me." Reiner said "They reasoned I have the most experience."

"That's good news." Gabi smiled

She made his way over to him and hugged him tightly. They enjoyed each other's presence for a while.

"But there is more." Reiner finally pulled back, looking at her seriously "The holder of the Warhammer Titan, Lara Tybur, wants to speak to you, alone."

Inwardly, Gabi seethed. The Tyburs held that speech in Liberio on purpose, knowing Eldians there would be attacked. They set up Udo and Zofia to die, along with all the others.

Outwardly, however, she smiled slightly.

"Take me to her." she said

So Reiner did. He led her to a ornately carved door and stopped there.

"I'll have to leave you here. Don't make a scene or draw attention to yourself." he said "It's not just your life at stake you know."

"I do." Gabi said sincerely "Better than anyone else."

And it was true, just not in the way Reiner meant it.

With that, he left. She took a deep breath and then opened the door.


	3. Testing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabi and Lara Tybur have a conversation.

The room was circular in design, and rather ornate-looking. It was fitting, somehow, for the splendor that the Tybur family lived in.

"I've met with Mr. Galliard in the market earlier today." Lara Tybur said, appearing out of nowhere "He says you are much older than you appear. Is he right?"

"Well, in a way, he is." Gabi said

"If so, then there are only two possible reasons for this." Lara's voice echoed throughout the room "So...which one is the case here?"

"The second one." Gabi smirked "As extraordinary as it may seem."

"Indeed." Lara smiled slightly "Is there a reason it happened to you in particular?"

"Offhand, I can think of four." Gabi told her

Images of Udo, Zofia, Falco and Reiner appeared in her head, all of them smiling cheerfully.

"Is that so?" Lara's demeanor shifted "It would be a shame if something happened to them, wouldn't it? We could easily get hospital staff to..."

At that moment, a bullet whizzed right next to Lara's head and embedded itself into the wall. Gabi held a small gun in her right hand.

"That was a warning shot." Gabi smiled sweetly "Just try it and I won't miss next time we meet. I'll kill all of you if I have to, just like I killed the Warchief."

"If you cooperate with us, we won't." Lara said "You're willing to take action regardless of the consequences. That makes you perfect for this job."

Gabi blinked. This conversation took an unexpected turn. 

"What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing you wouldn't have already done anyway." Lara assured her

Gabi's eyes widened as Lara explained to her what she needed to do.

"Of course, we'll have the soldiers on site to act as distraction." Lara said "You'll eat him and steal his powers, putting them back where they belong."

"What makes you think I won't just use them to destroy all of you?" Gabi asked

"Because you need someone of royal blood to activate it, and she is currently on Paradis and unable to think for herself. We can restore her by making her eat her son, whom you so helpfully killed for us. Or rather, his remains. We'll use this to keep you in check, because without her, your powers would be useless."

"Only half of them." Gabi countered, smiling sweetly

"Indeed." Lara said "Well, then, we're at impasse. You have two weeks to mull it over. We'll hear your decision then. It was a pleasure meeting you."

Once Lara left, Gabi smiled. It wasn't a nice smile.

"Did she really think I wouldn't accept?" she asked no one in particular "Getting even with you is what I live for. For all the innocent victims you had killed, I would kill you in turn. Kill you and eat you...Eren Yeager..."


	4. Enemies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabi infiltrates the Walls.

A year had passed since then, and Gabi seamlessly integrated herself into the world within the walls.

Gaining their trust had been easy, since she was still a child. She felt safe among them, knowing that the soldiers that came with her were there for her, waiting for her signal to strike.

And of course, she found out that she wasn't alone in this ordeal.

She entered the room, where she found him. He was sitting cross-legged, fiddling with his rifle. He looked up at her as she entered.

"She is innocent." he said "Please spare her."

"I will." she laid a hand atop his shoulder "As long as you do your part. We have one target, and we can't screw this up. Otherwise, the Tyburs will order the hospital staff to poison Udo, Zofia and Falco."

"I will stand by you, Gabi." he promised

"And I will see you and Sasha through, Niccolo." she promised in turn

"Speak of the Devil." Niccolo grinned

The resident glutton of the Paradis Island chose that moment to enter the tent.

"Do you have any food?" she asked

"Not yet." Niccolo rose gracefully "But I can whip something up. In fact, how does a feast sound? Everyone in the Scout Legion is invited!"

"Great!" Sasha exclaimed "I'll spread the word!"

She darted out of the tent.

Gabi and Niccolo turned to face each other.

"What are you hoping to accomplish?" Gabi asked

"Well, I am hoping to woo her, true." Niccolo admitted a bit sheepishly "But also..."

He pulled a small glass bottle out of the inner jacket pocket.

"...Kill two birds with one stone." he concluded "In this bottle is a rare poison which can kill a fully grown man in minutes. I don't know whether it'd work on a Titan shifter, but it should incapacitate him long enough for you to eat him."

Gabi smiled at him earnestly.

-x-

Everyone was at the feast.

Everyone who mattered, anyway.

Eren, Mikasa and Armin sat close together, and the remainder of Survey Corps found their own seats as well.

Niccolo was busy serving the food, including the plate which was sabotaged.

He made sure to place that one in front of Eren.

Once he was finished, he took his own seat beside Sasha, so he'd be able to protect her once Gabi transformed.

Nearby, Gabi was fingering a syringe containing the Titan serum, waiting for the poison to kick in.

After a while, Eren started coughing slightly, and it only got worse from there. Soon he started coughing blood.

While everyone was focused on trying to save him, Gabi seized her chance and pushed the needle into her skin, and pressed the plunger.

There was a flash, accompanied by a deafening explosion, and Gabi transformed into a 15-meter Titan.

"Soldiers!" Niccolo bellowed "Separate them!"

He grabbed Sasha by the wrist, and forcefully pulled her towards the forest. Titans couldn't operate well in the forest, meaning they'd be safe. She'd be safe.

He watched as Gabi swatted the soldiers around Eren away, and grabbed him, tossing him into her mouth.

"It's done." he breathed "The true enemy of humanity is gone."


	5. Hostilities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The soldiers of Paradis take the fact that their only hope got eaten about as well as you'd expect...
> 
> It is up to Gabi and Niccolo to convince them that they had their best interests at heart.

"Let me go!" Sasha squirmed, trying to escape Niccolo's grip

"Sasha, please..." he seemed somewhat sad "I...I did it to save you..."

"You set up the one person who could actually save us to get eaten!" Sasha spat out

"I only helped kill the one responsible for your death!" Niccolo cried out "He would have dragged you all into something he and his brother started! This was the only way to prevent an even greater disaster for Paradis and Marley both..."

"As if." Sasha crossed her arms "You would love nothing more than so see us perish, and what you did proves that you would happily see us all dead."

"And what makes you think we wouldn't want to save you?" Niccolo asked "Gabi is an Eldian, just like all of you are. And I, a full-blooded Marleyan, am in love with you, Sasha. You were the only one who encouraged me to pursue my real dream...I love you...Please believe me..."

"Can you prove it?" Sasha asked

"I can, as a matter of fact." Niccolo unfastened his rifle "See that man talking with Gabi? His name is Grior, and he is extremely prejudiced against your people."

He proceeded to raise the rifle to his eye-level, pressing it to his cheek, adjusting his aim carefully.

Then he pulled the trigger, and Grior's head was blown up as the bullet struck him, his brain matter scattering everywhere.

"Do you believe me now?" Niccolo asked, turning to look at Sasha

Her eyes were wide and her mouth was slightly open.

-x-

In Marley, things were uncertain at best, and tension was lurking around every corner.

Of course, some of the tension abated when Gabi returned, along with most soldiers who had accompanied them, though there were a few missing.

"What happened?" the General asked them once they were properly re-inducted

"I am afraid some of the soldiers didn't make it." Gabi said "Grior was among them. He was shot with a rifle."

She purposefully neglected to mention just who it was that shot Grior.

"A tragic loss." Niccolo agreed 

"And Eren Yeager?" Lara Tybur, who was silent until now, asked

"I ate him." Gabi said proudly "He is no longer a concern."

That was when the base was shelled. Several silhouettes could be seen through the transparent ceiling.

"It's the Paradis Devils!" Magath exclaimed "Niccolo, Gabi, defend us!"

Gabi shook her head.

"No." she said loudly "I only agreed to aid Lara Tybur and eat Eren Yeager because my own goals aligned with yours at a time. But you see, I realized something. In the era of technological advancement, the Titan powers will be useless, and thus we Eldians would be useless. And given all the prejudice against us, we're likely to get killed. And Marley wouldn't miss us. You're a good man, commander Magath, but you need to go. All of you need to go. I am giving you one more chance. Join me in achieving my new goal of creating the world where Eldians and Marleyans stand as equals, or die here for your belief."

"I, Niccolo, will stand by you, Gabi Braun." Niccolo announced "For better or for worse."

Porco, Pieck and Reiner followed his example, and all four of them moved to stand next to Gabi, facing the others.

"Anyone else?" Gabi asked in a deceptively calm voice

"I still care for Marley." Magath intoned "But it's obvious that we're turning into the very thing we once hated. I, Commander Magath, would stand with you also."

"As will we."

Udo, Zofia and Falco stood at the doorway, bandaged but otherwise okay.

"It is decided." Gabi pulled out a small comm-link device "You know what to do."

That's when everyone except Gabi and her newfound allies was shot down, falling onto the floor like puppets whose strings were cut.

"Well." Niccolo clasped his hands "There is much to be changed here, so let's get to work, shall we?"


End file.
